In 1925, a con man in a silk top hat "sold" the Eiffel Tower to a scrap-metal dealer for a suitcase full of cash. The buyer never went to the police. How do you sell a landmark you don't own, and why would you try it twice? This animated true story follows Victor Lustig from the ocean liners to a secret meeting at the Hôtel de Crillon, and all the way to Alcatraz.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:22 The Count

1:14 A Tower Nobody Wanted

2:23 The Secret Meeting

3:41 The Perfect Mark

4:22 The Bribe

5:07 Silence

5:50 The Second Sale

6:30 America

7:51 The Fall

9:10 What He Really Sold

• English AI voiceover with a fast, story-driven pace

• Original synthesized music and sound effects, mixed to -14 LUFS

• Original neon vector animation in 1080p at 60 fps, with animated maps and counters

• Fact-checked history, with uncertain details clearly hedged (sources disagree on some names and numbers)

• A family-friendly look at why the scam worked: secrecy, hurry, flattery and shame

A true story about how a good story can be more convincing than the truth.